Use geoprocessing tools to access and write to delimited text files. Any geoprocessing tool that accepts a table as input can read a delimited text file, unless the tool modifies the input table. In addition, any geoprocessing tool that can create a table can write directly to a delimited text file. Geoprocessing tools provide read-only input support and output support for the following delimited text file formats:
- Comma-delimited text files (.txt, .csv, and .asc) in which the comma character (,) separates each value
- Tab-delimited text files (.tsv and .tab) in which the tab character separates each value
- Pipe-delimited text files (.psv) in which the pipe character (|) separates each value
The first row of a text file contains the column headings, and the subsequent rows contain coordinates and attributes. The following is an example of a comma-delimited text file:
x,y,ID,color
8.6,5.6,001,blue
99.3,77.0,002,blue and red
8.01,44.3,003,orange
When using a delimited file as input to a geoprocessing tool, the ArcGIS Pro text file workspace determines the field properties and values. To see the same field properties and values that tools will read, open the table. A geoprocessing tool cannot change the field properties or values of a delimited file. This applies even when creating an output derived from those files. The field properties and values are already set when a tool reads the file as input. Use the schema.ini file to configure how a delimited file's field properties and values will be interpreted and used in ArcGIS Pro.